A committee of MPs has concluded that the special educational needs system is "not fit for purpose".

They say many of the 1.5 million children with special educational needs (SEN) are being let down due to a lack of consistency of provision, and flaws in the statementing process and teacher training.

The education and skills committee report, published on Thursday, called for local authorities to be required by law to provide a broad range of support for youngsters with SEN - including the provision of special schools.

It also called for an end to the current "postcode lottery" of SEN provision - suggesting an enforced set of minimum standards across the country.

The government is presenting a confused message about whether pupils with SEN should be taught within special or mainstream schools, the committee argued.

It said ministers need to clarify their position and should accept responsibility for the closing of special schools by local authorities because they think the government wants them to.

The report concludes that special schools are "invaluable" and the government should be looking at "how to progress to a system based on a high quality, well resourced, flexible provision to meet the needs of all children".

Key recommendations include local authorities providing SEN education within a clear national framework linked to minimum standards of provision.

And to guard against the possibility that academy schools could discriminate against children with SEN, the committee suggests the government should put academies on the same legal footing as all other schools.

SEN training should become a core compulsory part of initial teacher training, add the MPs.

Committee chairman Barry Sheerman said: "Many of the problems identified in our report stem from the fact that SEN provision has not been given sufficient priority by successive governments.

"'Every child matters' offers an excellent opportunity to redress the balance and ensure that the needs of children with SEN are at the heart of our education system.

"Meeting the needs of children with SEN must be given the highest priority. This should be the hallmark of a successful education system and a civilised society."

Shadow education secretary David Willetts said the report was a "powerful attack on what is so clearly going wrong with provision for children with SEN".

"Parents have told David Cameron and myself of their worries that the government is obsessed with inclusion even when their child might be better off in a special school," he added.

"Whilst [schools minister] Andrew Adonis tried to deny this was the government's agenda, the evidence is overwhelming that the government is deliberately planning the closure of special schools."